Maundy Thursday Vladimir Putin: what is the meaning of large-scale personnel changes

Maundy Thursday Vladimir Putin: what is the meaning of large-scale personnel changes

28.07.2016

In summer 2006, British Prime Minister Tony Blair unexpectedly summoned Minister of agriculture Margaret Beckett and told her the great honour of becoming the first woman to be entrusted with the leadership of British foreign policy. As later admitted herself to Beckett, she was so impressed that the Prime Minister said only one word – the most famous English curse word of four letters.

Arranged by Vladimir Putin at the end of the last week of July reshuffle is also not without similar curiosity.

No evidence that any of pridvinutyh Russian officials mother, hearing about the presidential decision, of course not. But there is evidence of something at least amusing: as they say, that he is no longer the Governor of Sevastopol and the presidential envoy in Siberia, Sergey Menyailo learned with amazement of the journalists. Given that in a presidential decree in black and white “in connection with the statement of the Governor of Sevastopol Sergei Menyailo acting early termination”, the situation looks pretty juicy, if not more.

However, God is with him, with the entourage of Putin’s reshuffle. Let’s talk about their essence. Fact, which in my opinion is this: GDP has decided to organize a “ staff work day” – in one fell swoop to rake the pile of accumulated personnel problems among senior Russian officials.

The victim cleaning staff is now former head of Russian customs Belyaninov. The last days of the second month of summer has stood out to this official, to put it mildly, extremely unfortunate. After the public became operational footage of the FSB conducted a search in the house of the chief customs Belyaninov machine turned into a “downed pilot”. Defenders ex-the chief of the FCS may say that zadeklarirovali his family legal income quite allow him to make such a sybaritic lifestyle. But in the eyes of public opinion Belyaninov was even more “smeared” figure than a first Deputy Prime Minister, which, according to Navalny, carries your favorite Corgi in the dog show on a private jet.

Photo search Belianinov showed the magnificent life of the head of the FCS (17 photos)

A large part of the chain of events that led to the resignation of influential and close to the first face of the country figures as Belyaninov – he worked in the Soviet foreign intelligence service in the GDR at the same time as Putin remains behind the scenes. But the General outline of event in principle is clear. Searches Belianinov conducted by the FSB. A biography of the new chief of customs, the former presidential envoy in the northwestern Federal district Vladimir Bulavin, you can find, among other things, and the following lines. From 2006 to 2008 – Deputy Director of FSB, since 2008 to 2013 – Deputy Secretary of Russian security Council. In both cases, the immediate supervisor Bulavin was Nikolai Patrushev is one of the most powerful and influential figures in Putin’s entourage.

The post of Ambassador of Russia in Ukraine is not the most important in our state hierarchy. But for me I left the office, Mikhail Zurabov has become a truly landmark event. Former Minister of health of the Russian Federation was not an absolute stranger in the Ukrainian capital. He had very good connections in the oligarchic circles of Kiev. For example, one of his closest confidant was a man named Petro Poroshenko. After the victory of Maidan in 2014 Zurabov very quickly predicted and reported to Moscow that the next President will be Poroshenko.

But the same reasons that it is not allowed to become a successful Zurabov, Minister of health – the lack of respect and lack of understanding of the masses – led Kiev to catastrophic failure of his diplomatic mission. I have heard from a variety of respected people: if Ambassador in Kiev still would have been Chernomyrdin, the Maidan would not happen. I don’t know whether this assessment is fair. But Zurabov definitely missed the Maidan: revolving exclusively in the highest circles of Kiev, he was not able to realize the essence and scope of this emerging in the country is crucial political processes.

The Zurabov’s resignation is long overdue, and overdue. But he really could not pick a successor. Some – such as former Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin refused such a dubious honor, some who have fallen away for other reasons. Waiting with great interest: who is the Kremlin now sees the role of the chief Russian diplomat in Ukraine? And is there a guarantee that Kiev will host a full-fledged Russian Ambassador? Can it happen that our Embassy in Ukraine will be very long to lead only a chargé d’affaires? Let me remind you that the Ambassador of Ukraine in Russia is not for a long time.

Another long-overdue personnel decision – the withdrawal from Sevastopol already mentioned above, Sergey Menyailo. This personnel officer and former Deputy commander of black sea fleet openly showed himself as the main civilian leader of the city. In 2014, the most popular politician of Sevastopol Alexey Chaly described the role of the Tatars in the Crimea to Russia: “He has been with us since the first days of the revolution, helped in the formation of groups of self-defense of Sevastopol”.

But when post-revolutionary euphoria was over Sevastopol Menyailo and roan came into sharp conflict that had the most negative impact on the development of the city. Let’s see how the more fortunate in this respect will be the new acting Governor of Sevastopol, a former Deputy Minister of industry and trade of the Russian Federation Dmitry Ovsyannikov. For Sevastopol, this native of Omsk – clean outsider. But I suspect that the 39-year-old Ovsyannikova well developed diplomatic skills. Otherwise, why would it appoint a highly complex and strategically important city, where the Governor does not necessarily stretch at attention?

The question of the governors. In connection with the “loss of confidence” Nikita Belykh finally ceased to be the Governor of the Kirov region. I’m not ready to accept the bribes of White. Developed by the former Governor of the Kirov’s version of events that led to his arrest, I believe phantasmagoric, illogical, unconvincing, but perhaps absolutely fair. But at the same time, the situation when for several weeks the Governor continued listed prison inmates, I think it is very strange and even humiliating for the country.

I hope that White will be able to prove his innocence. But to remove of the governors had for a long time. However, it is possible that empathy requires not only the old but also the new head of the Kirov region – the former head of Rosreestr Igor Vasiliev. I know a little of the situation in the political circles of the city, which had not yet regained its historical name Vyatka. And I am absolutely convinced that the cause of the fall of White was sabotage and the bases of the local elite, unhappy with the appearance of a Governor-outsider. Of course, Vasiliev is not in the biography of such “seditious” pages White: he was not a member of the opposition, as a functionary of the “United Russia”. But I would place the new Kirov Governor still much be careful.

Now for the most part surprised me permutations is known primarily for its activity on a post of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation in the last decade, Vladimir Ustinov became the Plenipotentiary of the President in the new larger southern Federal district. The formal title of Ustinov it did not change: in the southern Federal district it sits already since 2008. But now in the list of his “possessions” includes also the Crimea. In itself, the merger of the two Federal districts of the big questions I have no objections. The abolition of a separate Crimean Federal district, most likely, should symbolize the completion of the integration of the Peninsula into structure of Russia.

But that’s why the presidential envoy in the southern Federal district Ustinov left? As far as I know, the former attorney General is not particularly active as the presidential envoy. Experts even complain that he now peculiar minimalistic approach to their duties. It may well be that, here’s the thing: Crimean leader Aksyonov and so enjoys the confidence of Moscow and does not need additional regulatory and mediatory instance. If this is so, the transition of the Crimea under the supervision Ustinov is quite logical.

Putin’s other appointments are: former presidential envoy to the North Caucasus Federal district Sergei Melikov became the first Deputy head of the National guard (former interior troops). I suspect that new posts Malikov will not be able to forget about the problems of the North Caucasus. The new presidential envoy to the North Caucasus Federal district was a former Putin’s envoy in Crimea Oleg Belavenets. This, apparently, is a sign of confidence from the face of the country: a difficult mission in the Crimea is over. Welcome to even more problem area – the North Caucasus.

The Governor of the Yaroslavl region submitted in return statement “on their own” (so, anyway, officially announced) Sergey Yastrebov was another law enforcement officer – now former Deputy Minister of internal Affairs Dmitry Mironov. “Military governors” more and more come into fashion – so, probably, it is necessary to understand? Sometimes, however, in Putin’s Russia of 2016 still lucky and “civil governors”. The former Governor of Kaliningrad Nikolay Tsukanov upgraded to the presidential envoy in the northwestern Federal district. Changer Tsukanov, of course, was the enforcer – the head of the local FSB Eugene Zimichev.

This is a brief description of Putin’s July personnel of solitaire. Solitaire, which was apparently intended to remind the Russian elite and the Russian population is one simple truth: everyone in our country headed by Putin and only Putin. Only in him our country has the right to decide whom to punish and whom to pardon, and whom to promote and whom to demote, who to move horizontally, and who “send out.” And all other Russian political players is the only card in the capable hands of the presidential.